New grant to aid supervision of DUI offenders

SAN DIEGO COUNTY  The Probation Department announced this week that it will use a new $500,000 grant to aid its efforts to supervise high-risk drivers convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Probation officials said the grant, provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, helps ensure that offenders are following court orders and provides opportunities for rehabilitation.

DUI offenders are considered “high risk” if they’ve been convicted of multiple DUIs or were found guilty in felony DUI cases in which someone was seriously injured, said Sarah Gordon, a county spokeswoman.

The money will be used to pay for the county’s DUI Enforcement Team, which probation officials describe as “an intensive supervision program” for high-risk DUI offenders.

The team conducts unannounced field contacts — at homes or work sites — as well as random alcohol and drug testing to make sure that the probationers are complying with court-ordered education and treatment programs.

Officers on the team made 124 arrests in fiscal 2012, mostly involving DUI offenders who failed to abstain from alcohol. They also arrested several probationers who were suspected of driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Last year, the DUI Enforcement Team served seven warrants on people suspected or convicted of DUI offenses who failed to appear in court. The team also assisted other law enforcement agencies in conducting dozens of driver’s license checkpoints and other special operations.

According to the state Office of Traffic Safety, 2,190 people were killed or injured in alcohol-involved collisions in San Diego County in 2010, the most recent data available.